Determining Reaction Level of Food Allergens

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study on the level of food allergens required to cause an allergic reaction to people sensitive to them.

An allergic reaction happens when the body's immune system reacts to a specific food type. Common types of food allergies include milk, eggs, some fruit and vegetables, and nuts. Reactions can be as mild as an itchy sensation or can be life threatening (Anaphylaxis).

The researchers wanted to find a level of allergen which would only produce a reaction in the most sensitive ten percent of people with food allergies.

The number of people who have food allergies has increased in recent decades with around 5-7% of infants and 1-2% of adults at risk. The study aims to develop warning guidelines and food labels that would help inform consumers about the allergen levels in a given product since different people have different allergen tolerance than others.

Updated Evidence Based Guideline on Acute Otitis Externa Released

The American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery Foundation released an updated evidence-based guideline to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Acute Otitis Externa (AOE) or swimmer's ear.

Acute Otitis Externa is an infection of the outer ear caused by bacteria multiplying in the ear canal due to trapped water. It is prevalent during summer and warm climates when increased ear exposure to water is at a high.

Aside from bacteria and water, swimmer's ear can also be caused by skin conditions that may contribute to debris in the ear canal, trauma from aggressive ear cleaning, trauma from wearing hearing aids, sweating, allergies, and stress.

Symptoms of acute otitis externa are inflammation, itching, a feeling of fullness with or without hearing loss, and pain when tugging on the earlobe or chewing food. Analgesics and eardrops are commonly used to treat the condition. These usually include antiseptics, antibiotics, and corticosteroids. The most effective treatment for AOE is eardrops because of the high local concentration of drug in the ear canal.

Oral medication is not as effective because of drug resistance and low concentration achieved in the ear canal compared to a topical method such as eardrops. Avoiding water accumulation and moisture retention in the external ear canal, and maintaining a healthy skin barrier can prevent AOE.

The guideline was released to promote the use of analgesics and topical treatments and discourage oral therapy which is deemed ineffective and has adverse effects. The update also includes new and updated clinical trials, systematic reviews, and the participation experts in various fields.

New Physiotherapy Guidelines For Treating Elderly People Released

Physiotherapy is better known as physical therapy in the United States. It is a segment of the health care profession that deals with the physical movement of the human body. Physiotherapy addresses the physical impairments and disabilities of the body and maximizes movement potential through health promotion, preventive healthcare, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the patient.

Physiotherapists (or physical therapists) are professionally trained to assess and treat movement impairing conditions. Medical subjects that touch on physiotherapy such as physiology, anatomy, and neuroscience aid the physiotherapist understand more and develop the skills needed to carry out the profession. These therapists are also known simply as PTs.

Some methods in physiotherapy include:

• Physical movement and exercise
• Manual therapy Techniques
• Water (Aquatic) Therapy
• Acupuncture

New physio guidelines for the elderly at risk of falls

Taking a fall in older life can not only result in injury, but also a potentially debilitating loss of confidence. But new guidelines for physiotherapists, co-compiled by a leading academic in the field from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, aim to refresh out-dated guidelines and introduce better direction for physiotherapists who work with elderly people at risk of falling.

As we get older our risk of falling increases, regardless of environment and social background – King Juan Carlos of Spain is a high profile example. As well as the physical and psychological impact of falls on the individual, they also have impact on a pressed NHS – according to Age UK some 3.5m people aged 65 and over take a fall each year, at an estimated cost to the NHS of £4.6m a day.

The new guidelines have been developed with the help of academics by Agile, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's professional network for those working with older people. Physiotherapists play a key role in the care of older people at risk of or who have had a fall, both in hospitals and in primary care and community health environments.

The last guidelines were published in 1998 and since then there have been significant advances in policy, practice and technology.

Rapid and Proper Therapy for Treating Diabetic Foot Infections Can Prevent Amputations

Patients with diabetes not only have to monitor their glucose levels but also take extra attention to taking care of their feet. Foot infections are the most common problem with diabetic people.

Infections are difficult to treat. Diabetes complicates the microvascular circulation which decreases blood circulation and slows down healing of the infected area. Also, nerves in the body are damaged because of high blood sugar levels. This is known as diabetic neuropathy. Because of neuropathy, local trauma or pressure on the feet are not felt by the patient.

This is why appointments for diabetes care are not complete without a thorough foot examination.

Diabetic foot complications are the most common cause of lower extremity amputations. Fifty percent of patients who had a foot amputated die within five years. Guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) suggests that most amputations can be prevented with proper care.

To best address the condition, the guidelines further note that a multi-disciplinary team, including infectious diseases specialists, podiatrists, surgeons and orthopedists be at hand to diagnose and treat the infection.

Correct treatment of common diabetic foot infections can reduce amputations

Diabetic foot infections are an increasingly common problem, but proper care can save limbs and, ultimately, lives, suggest new guidelines released by the IDSA.

Poor treatment of infected foot wounds in people with diabetes can lead to lower extremity amputation, and about 50 percent of patients who have foot amputations die within five years – a worse mortality rate than for most cancers. But about half of lower extremity amputations that aren't caused by trauma can be prevented through proper care of foot infections, note the new IDSA diabetic foot infections guidelines, which are being published today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Because people with diabetes often have poor circulation and little or no feeling in their feet, a sore caused by a rubbing shoe or a cut can go unnoticed and worsen. As many as one in four people with diabetes will have a foot ulcer – an open sore – in their lifetime. These wounds can easily become infected. Unchecked, the infection can spread, killing soft tissue and bone. Dead and infected tissue must be surgically removed, which, if the infection is extensive, can mean amputation of the toe, foot, or even part of the leg. Nearly 80 percent of all nontraumatic amputations occur in people with diabetes – and 85 percent of those begin with a foot ulcer.